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Chris Simpson (formerly Gloria Record, Mineral), has completed his first full-length under the moniker Zookeeper, and old pal Brian Malone has released it on his Belle City Pop record label. The album careens between honky tonk dissonance and dissolving harmony ("Trumpets" sounds like the closing tune in your favorite dive bar) against whimsical banjo, organ and horns. Simpson's voice plays well with the Wilco-ish (Being There era) tracks, while the slower paced tracks like "On Madison Way" pale a bit in comparison. Simpson's droning delivery coupled with its tendency to veer off pitch at times makes the down tempo more challenging, though faster tempos clear that issue up nicely: "Snow in Berlin" showcases all the best parts of Zookeeper, combining the every-instrument-all-the-time (and a chorus) mentality of the group with addictive, toe-tapping panache. All in all, fans of previous work will find themselves right at home in Becoming All Things. If you purchase your copy from Newbury Comics this week, you can get a signed one, so hop to it!
Zookeeper MySpace
Zookeeper @ Belle City Pop
Zookeeper Official
Sample Becoming All Things
Jam bands get a bad rap these days, and it's probably Citay's dumb luck that they'd get lumped in with names like Phish, but we don't care. Little Kingdom flirts with the self-indulgent world of noodling guitar solos and repetitive returns, but doesn't make the leap: the tracks are clearly progressing, escalating, reaching the bridge and returning to Theme A in classic psychedelic style. Focusing on guitar harmonies and wall of sound style production, Little Kingdom combines '60s sensibilities uniquely by approaching the elaborate, almost Allman Brothers style guitar solos with tambourines and soaring vocal arrangements that reflect some kind of amazing acid trip wherein Jimmy Page and Donovan create a dream record.
Citay Official
Citay MySpace
Citay "First Fantasy" (mp3)
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Alexis Gideon: Flight of the Liophant
Angels & Airwaves: I-Empire
Antlers: In the Attic of the Universe
The Black Swans: Change
Blondie: No Exit (reissue)
Bobb Trimble: Harvest of Dreams (reissue with bonus tracks)
Bobb Trimble: Iron Curtain Innocence (reissue with bonus tracks)
Brad Laner: Neighbor Singing
The Brother Kite: Moonlight Race
By the End of Tonight/Tera Melos: Complex Full of Phantoms
Bright Eyes: Motion Sickness
Citay: Little Kingdom
Clipd Beaks: Hoarse Lords
The Cloud Room: Hey Now Now
David Byrne: Knee Plays
Demon Hunter: Storm the Gates of Hell
Dillinger Escape Plan: Ire Works
The Drift: Ceiling Sky
Evaporators: Gassy Jack and Other Tales
The Frantic: Audio & Murder
Gram Parsons: Gram Parsons Archive, Vol. 1
Grizzly Bear: Friend EP
His Name Is Alive: Sweet Earth Flower: A Tribute to Marion Brown
Imani Coppola: The Black and White Album
Jay-Z: American Gangster
Jeremy Jay: Airwalker EP
John Williams: Music of Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collectors Edition
Lisa Gerrard: Best of Lisa Gerrard
Merle Haggard: Legends of American Music: The Original Outlaw (box set)
Mike Bones: The Sky Behind the Sea
Minmae: Ya Te Vas? (reissue)
Minipop: New Hope
Monster Magnet: 4-Way Diablo
Mouse Fire: Wooden Teeth
Nas: Greatest Hits
Neko Case: Blacklisted (remastered)
Neko Case: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (remastered with bonus tracks)
Neko Case: Furnace Room Lullaby (remastered)
Paul McCartney: Memory Almost Full - CD/DVD Deluxe Edition
The Pine Hill Haints: Ghost Dance
Richard Youngs: Autumn Response
Sarah Dougher: Harper's Arrow(reissue)
Sigur Ros: Hvarf/Heim
Stevie Ray Vaughan: Solos, Sessions and Encores
Sun City Girls: Dulce (soundtrack)
Sun City Girls: Jack's Creek (reissue)
Swallows: Me With Trees Towering
Tokyo Police Club: Smith EP
Van Morrison: Still on Top: The Greatest Hits (remastered)
Various Artists: American Gangster (soundtrack)
Various Artists: The Best of the Jammys Volume Two
Various Artists: Safe Haven, A Benefit for Smyrc
The Wedding Present: Live 1987
White Williams: Smoke
Zookeeper: Becoming All Things
Zookeeper: Zookeeper
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